Kings Ransom
by Astronomer Always
Summary: This was one of those 'better late than never' moments in Robert's opinion. Rating may go up in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

King's Ransom

I think I started to feel this way around the time I was getting ready to leave for the seventh grade. It wasn't on the last day, no, that would be too dramatic. It was gradual, sneaking up on me like someone planning your assassination.

I realized this sometime around the eighth grade when I said I missed him. I was walking around town with no particular destination when I noticed I was at the elementary school. I mumbled to myself that I missed him. No one in particular was around to here that, not that that was a concern.

I went out of my way after that to find out about what he was up to these days. I had to change my route home so I could see him, but I found out what I wanted to know. For one thing, the whole group had a growth spurt since I left, except for him. He's the shortest in the group now. From what I can see, it makes him uncomfortable if it gets mentioned.

I wanted to go up to him and tell him that he'll get his own growth spurt soon enough.

I also found out that he's still playing pranks and causing mayhem, but he's toned it down a lot since I was there. I think he's trying to wean himself out of it before middle school. Good. If he tried one of those in middle school, they'll try to expel him without a second thought about it. I feel a little bad for him though. It's about a week until the end of the school year. I had overheard one of their conversations. They were talking about what they were going to do over the summer.

I feel bad for him, 'cause his friends are all going to summer camp again. Each one. It's like the summer for his fifth grade year all over again. Except for the whole moving the moon thing. Hopefully that won't happen again, but that's not what's important right now. I don't 1know if his friends noticed, but he's upset about it. He said he was fine with it, but I don't think he really is. To top it all off, they're all leaving the day after the last day of school.

This summer going to be lonely for him. It's a good thing I'm here, so that won't happen. I'll find him and hang out with him, at least until his friends come back. Maybe even after that.


	2. Chapter 2

King's Ransom

I decided not to go up to him the day his friends went off to camp. I thought it would be best if I left him to himself for the first day. Get rid of all that frustration with his life at the moment, or at least, part of it.

The next day, it took me about 30 minutes on my bike to find him at the lake, siting at the edge of the dock tossing rocks without making the effort to make them skip along the water. I wonder for moment if he would be surprised to see me. Does he think I forgot about him? He'd better not have forgotten about me. I got off my bike and leaned it against a tree. I made sure my steps didn't make a sound. When I got close, I saw that he was slouching and soaking in his own misery.

I walked up to him and stood behind him to see if he'll notice me. I must've stood there for minute or two, but nothing.

"What's going on, Monkey Boy?" I asked. He jumped and turned to face me.

"Oh, hey, King Bob," He said. "What are you doing here?"

"I always come here," I lied. "A better question would is why aren't you with your group? It's summer. Shouldn't you be hanging out with them?"

"They're all at camp," He said, snapping at the last word. He faced the lake again and folded hi arms. "They're gone for 5 weeks and I'm stuck here, by myself, again!"

"At least you can do what you want. They have to do what the camp tells them to do."

"Yeah, but myself? That's no fun." I sat on the edge of the dock next to him. "Whatever happened to spending summer vacation with your friends?"

"You can spend it with me. All my friends are off somewhere, too" I offered.

"What would we do? Aren't you going to high school?"

"Yeah, and you're going to middle school, so what?" I said. "Doesn't mean we can't hang out. I've got video games, my dad just got us a trampoline. What else are you going to do besides mope around until your friends get back?" I looked over as saw him think about what I just asked. I had a point. He didn't have much else to do. Unless he wanted to be stuck at home all summer watching reruns on TV, I'm going to be his only source of entertainment. And I know for a fact he doesn't want to be bored out of his mind.

"Alright. I guess I can hang out with you," He said. "What else am I gonna do?"

"That's the spirit," I said. "How 'bout a milkshake? On me. We can talk about what to do."

"Like what?" He asked. We both stood up and started to head towards Kelsos.

"Have you ever played paintball?"


	3. Chapter 3

When I found out that he had never played paintball, I knew I had to fix that. I've only played it a few times, but that's enough to know what it's one of the best games you can play. It's like a live action shooter video game, but without all the blood and dying. When I told him about the paintball guns and the bruises, he was a little worried about being covered in bruises.

"Oh, c'mon. How many times have I sent you to the dodgeball wall and you came out of it with a few bruises?" I asked. Right now, we're in my room, looking at some of my paintball equipment. I had an extra gun that I was willing to give to him if he wanted to play.

"But we're shooting at each other with guns," he said. He looked inside the can I had open full of the paintballs.

"We'll have protection on, geez. It's not like we're hitting bare skin; that would really hurt. You're not going to end up in the hospital," I said. "And after a while, your body gets used to the bruises and it won't hurt as much or bruise as easily. It'll be fun, monkey boy."

"Alright. I'll play. You owe me for this," He said.

"Fine. Nothing's going to happen, promise," I went to my closet and pulled out some of my older, smaller equipment. It should fit him. If not, they have protection gear players can borrow down at the paintball field. "Catch." I tossed him some of the equipment. He caught the chest guard (which was covered in old, dried paint). "Try it on." He did. It's a little big, but it fits. I tossed him the knee and chin guards, and the elbow guards. I had to dig a little more to find the face mask, but I did. "Look, everything fits. You sure you want to go? You can't back out when it starts."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just better not walk away from this with a black eye."

~*~KR~*~

Robert was starting to regret this decision. Regret wasn't an emotion he experienced too often, so he wasn't comfortable when it happened. One of his philosophies as a natural born leader was to never regret a single decision. But he was regretting this.

Running behind a low brick wall, he ducked to avoid the paintballs the whizzed over his head. His helmet was covered in still wet paint as was his clothes and equipment. As he heard paintballs hit the front of the wall, he sat up and peaked from behind it. He caught is breath and looked for a safer and larger wall to hide behind. His clothes where covered in paint as well as dirt and mud from haven't to dive to the ground to avoid being hit.

But back to regret.

He was regretting not offering to take the monkey boy to the carnival or something that didn't evolve becoming a target.

How was he supposed to know Detweiler was a great shot?

It wasn't fair. No practice and he could already hit a moving target. The new kid (Griswold, is it?), he could understand, since he's into the military and everything, but this kid? No. It's not fair.

Robert couldn't spot him from where he was, so he had two options: shoot at where he thought he would be to draw him out, or run for it. He weighed the risks, and decided to run for it. He wanted to save his ammo for when he can get a clear shot (since not everybody can have great aim like SOME people). Ducking and diving, he found a safer wall. When he peaked over, he saw TJ running to another wall and opened fire.

Robert knew he had to get moving. By shooting, he gave away the general direction where he was hiding. He ran until he was out of the general area and into a concrete tunnel. He didn't want to stay there for too long. The tunnel was open on both ends, and Detweiler could sneak up on him, and dammit he wasn't going to lose to a new player. He calmed his breath and listened out for any footsteps. He didn't hear any, but he heard shots being fired towards the last spot he was in.

With his paintball gun in a tight grip, Robert listened out for any sound of movement. When he heard none, he turned and walked out of the pipe. He spotted TJ walking towards his former spot, and he opened fire again. He only fired a few times, since that got the monkey boys attention and he started firing towards him. But he decided to fire back, since this was the only time he had an open and clear shot. They fired, occasionally moving to get what they thought would be slightly better shot. Eventually, and loud horn was heard across the field, signaling that their time slot was over.

Robert lifted his face mask and took a breath of fresh air.

"You were right, King Bob. That was fun!" Robert heard him say as they walked toward the entrance.

"See, I told you. You did better than I thought you would," Said Robert. He sat down on a bench inside and they both began to take of their equipment. "Any bruises?"

"Yeah. I know I have a bad one on my left shoulder. You clipped me really good in that shot."

"Let me see." TJ pulled the collar to his shirt until his shoulder was exposed. Robert looked as saw a medium sized, newly formed bruise that was already beginning to change colors. "You'll be alright. You gave me bruises everywhere with that deadly aim of yours."

"Yeah but you said you're used to it. I'm not."

"What do you want me to do? Kiss it all better?" It was a joke. Robert wanted him to realize how much he was complaining after having fun. Robert watched him fold his arms.

"No I don't. I'm just wondering how I'm going to explain this to my parents if they see it. I can feel bruises on my sides and somewhere on my head…."

"Tell them the truth. You played paintball," Said Robert. "It's a harmless sport. Didn't you ever come home with bruises?"

"…..You're right."

"I always am." They put their equipment in separate bags and carried the paintball gun over their shoulder. "C'mon, you big baby. I know a burger place around here. I'll buy you one."

~*~KR~*~

Even after the paintball game, Robert thought that this moment was the best of the day. The two of them sat on bar stools at a counter. In front of them both were steaming burgers and fries. Now Robert had been here plenty of times. He was used to the food being incredibly delicious and came to expect the explosion of flavor that each meal had. TJ was not however. Robert had to keep himself from laughing (because he didn't want to choke on his food). While he was eating, TJ only took one bite before setting his burger down and staring at the plate.

"Something wrong Detweiler?" Robert asked. He held back a laugh again.

"This is the best burger I've ever had," he said. "I just….I don't know…" Robert watched him pick it back up and finish it off.

"I know. That's why I picked this place," Robert said.

"Vince can't even cook this good," said TJ. "Thanks for this." Robert nodded.

"No problem. I was getting hungry, anyway," he said. "What else are we gonna do today?"

"I dunno. Something that doesn't require running around," Robert said. He tossed a fry in the air and caught it in his mouth. "Wanna head back to my place and watch a movie? I got a huge collection of horror films, if you can handle it."

"I can handle it just fine. How scary can it be?"

"Okay, if you say so. Are you finished, because if you are, we can catch the bus," said Robert. He and TJ stuffed the last few of their fries in their mouths before heading out the door. They had to run to catch the bus. The bus was nearly empty, save for three other passengers besides themselves. Robert glanced at TJ every few seconds. He was beginning to feel that nasty emotion of regret when the monkey boy looked out the window with a bored expression on his face. It was only two days since his friends left. Robert had to admit to himself that he was probably still feeling upset over the whole thing. To get his attention again, the former kin took his cap.

"What are you doing?" He asked, reaching for his hat. Robert kept it out of his reach. "Give it back!"

"Calm down, monkey boy," Robert teased. He placed his free hand on the younger boys head and started to pull back his hair. "I want to see this bruise you say you have on your head." It wasn't a lie. A bruise on the skull sounded a little serious. It wasn't like Detweiler was losing his balance or throwing up or any of that other stuff they say to look out for after hitting your head, but it didn't hurt to check. Besides, Robert had other motives, too. He wanted to play with his hair a little bit. He was no stranger to the fact that the gesture could be considered affectionate, but felt that the boy wouldn't see it like that.

Detweiler was dense on things like that. Robert was 99.99% sure that he was completely unaware of that crush Girl that Runs with Fists has on him. But that's another topic for another point in time.

Robert had expected it to be rough; it certainly looked that was underneath that cap of his. However, it wasn't. It was soft, albeit dirty. After searching for a few seconds, Robert did indeed find a bruise on the left side of his skull, but it was very small.

"Did it hurt when you were hit here?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, but not that much," said TJ. "You must've been far away."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really. The other ones hurt a lot more…"

"You'll be fine. You're not dizzy or anything, so you're okay." Robert returned his cap and leaned back in his seat. They rode the bus for five more minutes before getting off at the closest stop to Roberts house. Robert showed him his vast collection of horror movies and let him pick one out to watch ("If you're going to be scared, it should be at least by a movie that you picked to watch," Robert reasoned.). Robert came back down in the basement with a giant bowl of popcorn in hand.

"Did you pick one to watch yet?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, this one."Detweiler held it up for him to read the title and Robert laughed.

"Alright, if you want. I'm just warning you, it might cause nightmares."

~*~KR~*~

The movie wasn't that bad, at least not to Robert. When he first watched it, it gave him nightmares for a month, but after watching for around the fifth time, he became less and less afraid of it. By now, he even found the movie to be a bit funny, but fully acknowledges that someone who watches it the first time would be horrified out of their minds.

Like TJ, for example.

While Robert nonchalantly ate the popcorn, the younger boy was curled up on the couch with his hands covering his eyes, peeking through his fingers every few seconds as well as shaking in his seat. Robert couldn't blame him. Currently, there was a scene of a masked man driving a long nail through a man's eye, along with generous amounts of fake, yet convincing, blood. The man was also having his arms brutally ripped off.

"Is everything okay, monkey boy?" Robert asked him. TJ opened his mouth to answer, but a woman's loud screaming in the movie interrupted him. Robert was starting to feel bad for not snatching the movie out his hand and not watching it. The kid was paler than a bed sheet at this point, and was probably going to have nightmares for weeks after this.

Robert looked around and spotted a blanket on the arm of the couch. He unfolded it, and wrapped around both himself, and the trembling boy beside him. TJ looked at him with a questioning expression on his face.

"Things are a lot less scary if you have something covering you," Robert said. "You look like you could use it." Another shriek and Detweiler was under the blanket. Robert sighed and joined him. "How about I turn it off?" He asked. He reached down to the floor and felt down until he found the remote. He thumbed the surface until her felt the square shape of the stop button and pressed it. "Better now?"

"Uh-huh," He said. "Who would make a movie like _that?_"

"I dunno, but the detail was amazing. He made five more movies better than this one—are you still shaking?" asked Robert. He placed an around him, and that help a little bit, but the monkey boy was still trembling. "C'mon, let's go outside. It's light out." Robert almost had to drag him outside. They two of them sat on the steps to the porch. "You should've told me you didn't like horror movies."

"I do like them. Just not _that _one," TJ said.

"You'll be fine," Robert said. "A couple of nightmares and everything will be fine. But, uh, how about we call it a day? You can keep the paintball equipment. I gave it to you 'cause I can't fit it anymore. But be ready by 11. I've got somewhere else I want to take you."


	4. Chapter 4

"A carnival?"

That was exactly the response Robert had expected. Going to the carnival the day after a paintball game and a horrifying movie was kind of weird, he admitted. But it was a good change, especially with how they left off yesterday.

Mostly adults and older teenagers were there, with the occasional family with a small child too young to go to summer camp. Robert was pretty sure that he and Detweiler were the only ones their age there.

"Yeah, a carnival," said Robert. "What? You're too old for carnivals, now?"

"No, it's just a surprise," said TJ. "I didn't know there was carnival in town."

"It just got here two days ago," said Robert. "So what do you wanna do first? Play a game or get on a ride?"

"A ride. All the games are rigged."

"Not _all _of them," Robert insisted. "I've won a couple of them before."

"Then you got lucky," TJ said. "They made it so you _can't _win. C'mon, let's get on the Banzai."

"No. See, now I have to prove you wrong," Robert said. He walked towards a nearby game booth. From what they could see, it was some water shooting game, and they had to shoot a target that would make, in this case, plastic plane reach the top. The person running the booth was a very bored 19 year old. "How much for this one?"

"A dollar for one turn," Said the booth manager. "You gotta reach the top in 30 seconds. If you win, you can pick one of the prizes." He pointed at the large collection of stuffed animals hanging above their heads. Robert reached into his pocket and handed him a dollar.

"Watch and learn, monkey boy," he said. "You might learn something." The timer above them counted down, then a buzzing sound signaled the countdown from 30 seconds. Robert aimed and hit the target. It looked like he had a good start, but it looked like that less and less as the time counted down. With a few seconds left, flashing lights and ringing signaled that he had won. "See? I told you I would win," He said. He looked at the stuffed animals before picking the perfect one. "That one."

"Yeah, yeah. You were right."

"Here," Robert said. He held the stuffed animal out to him. I was a medium sized, soft, pink rabbit. Its floppy ears were the length of its body, and its button eyes and overly stuffed cheeks only added to its cuteness.

"What?" He asked.

"It's yours. I won it for you," Robert said. He pushed it into TJ's arms. "Take it."

"….thanks, I guess….."

"You're welcome. C'mon, let's go on the Ferris wheel."

~*~KR~*~

Half the reason Robert choose the Ferris wheel over every other ride was because it had the shortest line. It was hot today, and he didn't want to spend more than five minutes in a line to a ride. There were only a few people in front of them when they got in line, so the wait wasn't that long. The other reason was that he wanted to talk. When they reached the top, Robert looked over and saw the younger boy pinching and squeezing the cheeks of the stuffed rabbit, all while looking disinterested in his surroundings.

"I wanna ask you a question," Robert started.

"Okay? What is it?"

"Are you and your friends still grossed out by the whole kissing thing?" He asked. "I mean, I get how fourth graders think it's gross, but I think around sixth grade it's not that big of a deal."

"No, the guys don't think it's that big of a deal anymore, I think. Ashley A. got caught kissing some guy behind their clubhouse, and they didn't seem grossed out about it," said TJ. "I still think it's weird, though. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to be the odd one out, y'know? I don't see the big deal about kissing. What's so great about pressing your lips against someone else's? It's nasty. I'm not weird for thinking this, am I?"

"Nah, you're fine. But wait until middle school starts. You're going to see kids kissing the halls. But they're only doing it because they think that's what older students _do_, when it really isn't. You're saving yourself a lot of trouble by not thinking about it. It's not as big of a deal as they're going to make it out to be," said Robert. "Besides, you'll like it when you like it. Now can I ask you another question? You don't have to answer this one if you don't."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"You haven't….grown since fourth grade, have you?" Robert instantly regretted that he asked the question. He saw TJ cringe at the question before forcing himself to relax again. "You don't have to answer! I was just curious."

"No, it's fine," said TJ. "You're right, though. I haven't grown at all. I'm pretty sure that I was the shortest kid in sixth grade, and I'm going to be the shortest guy in seventh grade, too. I didn't mind the jokes at first, y'know? Ha-ha at me, whatever. I can take a joke." Robert started to notice that he was starting to squeeze the stuffed animal a little too tightly. "But after a while it starts to get to you. _I get it._ I'm the shortest person in the sixth grade, no need to rub it in. Jokes from other kids started to hurt a lot than the few tossed around by my own friends. I know there just jokes but…._still_. I didn't say anything about it. A small part of me is happy that they went away to camp."

"You should tell them," Robert said. "If they're your friends, they'll stop." TJ only shrugged his shoulders. "You'll probably hit a growth spurt over the summer, anyways. Watch, you'll shoot up sooner or later."

"My mom and dad keep saying the same thing all year. It's getting harder to believe," he said. "I think they're thinking about taking me to the doctor about it."

"I'm serious. You're gonna hit a growth spurt. You look like you're probably going to have a baby face, but that can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it," Robert said. "What camps did they go to?"

"Vince went to baseball camp, Gus went to boot camp, Spinelli went to an art camp this time, Gretchen went to some science camp, and Mikey went a drama camp," he said. "And I'm here."

"At least you're not alone." TJ shrugged his shoulders again. "What?"

"It doesn't feel that different," said TJ.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like everything's just sort of…bleh. Everything's boring and a feel like I'm just going through the motions. It's like everything I do is gonna be forgotten eventually. So what the point in doing _anything_? I just don't _care._ I want to, but I _can't._ I can't make myself _care_ about anything anymore. I feel like I'm _done_ with everything."

"…..How long have you felt like this?"

"A couple of months. Since March, I guess."

"That's more than a couple of months…have you told anyone you've been feeling this way?"

"No. Well, I just told you, but not anyone else."

"Not even your friends?"

"Nope."

"Maybe you should tell someone, like your parents." TJ shrugged his shoulders again.

"It's nothing. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Sounds like you're more than just tired, monkey boy."

"I am tired. I'm tired of _life._"

~*~KR~*~

To say that Robert was worried would be a horrible understatement. Everything that the younger boy had just said was just so…_unlike_ him. He was always so happy-go-lucky, when Robert was back at Third Street as king. He isn't like that at all right now. Come to think of it, he wasn't like that at all yesterday either, but he brushed it off as him missing his friends. From what Detweiler was telling him, that might not be the case. He didn't seem to miss them at all. And why would he? They'll be back in five weeks or however long he said their camp would last.

Robert was starting to remember a lecture he was forced to sit through during class. It was about well-being and how you should take care of yourself and what to look out for and stuff like that. What was normal to think about and what wasn't and when you should tell someone. With that on his mind as well as the conversation, one thing popped up in Robert's mind.

Detweiler is depressed.

He tried to convince himself otherwise, but maybe that was because he didn't want to believe it. It just didn't 'fit' him, but what else could it be? What he was saying was disturbing. He's tired of life? I can't bring himself to care about anything? What's the point? That didn't sound like anything a person who wasn't depressed would say. He wasn't an expert on the subject, but it sounded like depression to him.

"C'mon, Detweiler. I'll buy you some cotton candy," Robert said after they got off the Ferris wheel. By now, TJ was carrying the stuffed rabbit on his shoulders like parent would carry their child so they could see over a crowd at a parade. After getting the pink cotton candy, the two of them found a nearby bench to sit on.

"Can I ask you a question?" TJ asked him.

"Yeah, go ahead," said Robert.

"Why are you hanging out with me?" He asked. "It's not like we did when you were still at Third Street. Why now?"

"Well, why not? We get along pretty fine. That, and you look like you could use a friend right about now," Robert told him. "But I'm glad we are. I'm starting to worry about you, TJ."

"You actually said my name."

"Am I not allowed to?"

"Yeah, it's just that you almost never do. It's weird."

"But like I was saying, I am starting to worry about you. You should tell your parents about this."

"I don't think it's that big of a deal."

"A lot of people would though. Just think about it, okay? I'm pretty sure any parent would want to know if their kid is thinking the stuff you're thinking."

"I'll think about it, but I'm not making any promises," said TJ. "Can we call it day? I don't mind hanging out with you or anything, but I'm starting to get really tired."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. C'mon, it looks like it's about to rain anyways."

~*~KR~*~

Laying in his bed, Robert was going over the day's events in his head. It was dark outside, and the rain had slowed down into a light drizzle. He was starting to be thankful that he made the decision to hang around Detweiler over the summer. If he didn't, he wouldn't have found out that he was feeling this way. Now that he does know, he could at least do something to get his mind off whatever making him depressed.

'Does depression even work that way?' He asked himself.

"Robert!" He heard his mother call from downstairs. "There's someone on the phone for you!"

"Alright," He said, pushing himself off the bed. He walked into the hallway a grabbed the phone on the nearby table. "I've got it!" He told his mother. "Hello?"

"King Bob?" He heard. It was the monkey boy.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Are you busy?"

"No, why?"

"Can you meet me somewhere?"

"….yeah, sure. Where?"

"In front of Third Street."

"Alright. I'll be there in a few minutes." Hanging up, Robert grabbed his jacket and went downstairs. He walked out the backdoor and put my hoodie over his head when he felt water droplets. It only took him a few minutes to reach the elementary school. When he did, he found the younger boy pacing in front of the doors.

"Hey," Robert said after approaching him. When he spoke, TJ turned to him, and the former king could very clearly see that he was crying. "Whoa, what happened? What's wrong?"

"I don't know," He said. "I really don't. I was just cleaning my room and I started crying and I can't make myself stop and I don't know why."

"Do you tell your parents?" Robert asked. TJ shook his head, no. "They don't even know you're out here, do they?" Again, he shook his head. Robert walked up to him and did the only thing he could think of. He hugged him. As soon as he did, TJ held onto him for dear life.

The two boys sat on the steps of the elementary school. It was all Robert could think to do to make the situation better. They stayed like that, until the former king began to feel most of their weight lean on him.

"You aren't starting to fall asleep, are you?" He asked.

"A little bit, yeah," TJ said. "Thank for that. I actually feel a lot better now."

"Good. We should probably get home before our parents start worrying about where we are. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. But, um, can you come over here tomorrow? I heard it was going to rain and I don't think I'm gonna want to go outside."

"Sure. Any specific time or anything?"

"After 9."

"Okay. I'll be over. You want me to walk with you?"

"No. I'll, uh, I'll be fine," He said, looking down the street. "I'll see you later, King Bob."

"You too, monkey boy."


	5. Chapter 5

*Wonders if anyone is interested in this story*

Guess I should write an author's note. I've had the idea for this story in my head for a long time, and I'm just now getting around to it. Some people on here send me reviews to other stories and messages about how they like this particular pairing, and how there should be more of it, so here it is. I don't know how long it's going to be, but it most likely will not be as long as Little Monster (thank God). I intended for that story to be 20 or so chapters, but I'm getting off topic.

I have good feelings about this story, and I hope you readers do too.

* * *

It was raining buckets when Robert woke up. He wondered when it would stop, so before he left, he turned to the news. The rain was going to stop by tomorrow, but for now, it was going to rain like this all day. Just from looking out the window, he could see that a simple hoodie wouldn't due. He would be soaked by the time he reached Detweilers house. Along with a hoodie, he grabbed an umbrella before heading out.

When he reached his destination, he found the monkey boy already outside, sitting on the porch of his house, playing with a game in his hands. Robert walked up to him, closing his umbrella.

"Hey," Robert said. He sat down next to the younger boy. "What game are you playing?"

"Silver," TJ said without taking his eyes off his game. "Ever heard of it?"

"Yeah, I heard of it," Robert said. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out his own Gameboy Color. "I've got Gold. How far in are you?"

"I'm just leveling up right now, before going to the Elite Four." Robert looked at his game as his own started up.

"What's on your team?"

"Vulpix, Umbreon, Haunter, Ledian, Bellossom, and Nidorino."

"What happened to your starter?"

"I picked Cyndaquil, but I liked Vulpix better," TJ said. "What about yours?"

"Feraligatr, Dragonite, Pidgeot, Machamp, Espeon, and Raichu," said Robert. "I'm training for the Elite Four, too."

The two of them played their games in silence. Robert felt conflicted about this. On one hand, it meant that, at least at the moment, everything was fine. But at the same time, with what happened last night, Robert didn't know if he should believe that. People just don't cry without a reason. A beeping was heard from inside the house, and TJ started to stand up.

"Let's go inside," he said. Robert stood up and followed him inside the house. The beep repeated five more times before stopping.

"What's that?" Robert asked.

"It's the washing machine in the basement," TJ said. "I've gotta go get that. Stay here." While he went into the basement, Robert looked around. Pretty typical house. He guess that Detweilers room was upstairs. On the kitchen table, he spotted a stack of envelopes, and was ready to ignore them until he noticed the handwriting of the address. It wasn't the normal typed font that normal bills would have on them. He picked one up, and saw that the address was handwritten and made out to Detweiler. Looking at the return address, Robert saw that it was from Vince LaSalle.

"Hey, these are from your friends," Robert said when TJ came out of the basement.

"Yeah, I know. We said we would keep in contact while they were gone," said TJ.

"None of them are open," he said.

"Uh-huh." Robert was taken aback by the blatant apathy Detweiler was having towards his friends. He knew the six of them as the closest friends at Third Street, but now, he didn't know if he could say the same thing at the moment. "You wanna play Monopoly? I have it upstairs in my room."

"….Alright. I get to be the iron," Robert said, as he followed the younger boy upstairs.

"The iron? Thought you would like the Top Hat," said TJ.

"I would, but you would like that, too, right? Since it's your game, you should have it," He said. Reaching his room. Robert expected his room to be messy. He seemed like the kid who wouldn't clean his room very often. When the door opened, the former king found that it was quite the opposite. It was spotless. Nothing on the floor, everything was neatly on the shelves, even the wastebasket was empty. "I didn't take you to be one to have a clean room."

"I'm not, most of the time. I got bored earlier and finished cleaning from last night," TJ said, as he looked through his shelves. Robert held the letters from his friends and started to look through them. A couple of them were quite thick compared to the others. The rain outside started to pick up, and the sky started to darken even more.

"Do you mind if I read these?" Robert asked as the younger male set up the game. He sat down on the floor next to the game board.

"Knock yourself out," TJ told him. Robert picked a random envelope and started opening it. "So my mom is taking me to the doctor when she gets off from work."

"Is it about the growth spurt thing?" asked Robert as he began to read the first letter. TJ nodded. "Did you tell your parents about what you've been thinking yet?"

"No."

"You should tell the doctor. It's kinda their job to take care of stuff like that," Robert said. "How old are you? 12? 13?"

"I'm 12. I turn 13 in December."

"When your 12 the doctor starts to ask you questions without your parents there. You can tell the doctor _then_ if that's what you're worried about," said Robert.  
"I'll think about it," he said. "I'll give you $400 for Pennsylvania Avenue."

"Make it Park Place plus $50 and you have a deal." The two of them exchanged money and property before returning to the game. "From what I'm reading, your friends sound like they're having fun."

"Of course they would. They're at camp."

"You sound angry. Are you mad at them?"

"No. I already told you, _I just. Don't. Care_." Said TJ. "I want to but I _don't._ It's like someone flipped a switch in my head and I can't care about them. What are you, my therapist?"

" I'm just asking. It's weird having you not care about your friends," Robert said. "Are you going to write them back?" TJ shrugged his shoulders. "They might think you're ignoring them because you're mad or something like that."

"I still don't care, King Bob. Maybe I will later, but right now I don't." Though he was still curious as to why he wasn't interested in his friends, Robert decided to leave the issue alone. At least for now.

"It's going to keep raining all day. Do you want me to come back over when you get back from the doctors?"

"I dunno. I'll call you and let you know."

"This is going to be a weird and random question, but do you know how to ride a skateboard?"

"….No. All I have is a bike. Why?"

"I have one, but I've been saving up for a new one. Nothing's wrong with the old one. I'm asking because maybe I thought you might want it. Do you? I can teach you how to ride it."

"Okay. Can I come with you to buy a new one?" Robert nodded. "Are you worried about High School?"

"Nah. I hear that if you don't act stuck up and think you're better than everyone else, the upper classmen leave you alone, and even think you're an upper classmen, too. Are you worried about middle school?"

"Not really. It's just another grade, isn't it?"

"Right, but you're at the bottom of the social ladder. The excitement of being a middle schooler rubs off after a week or two." Putting the letters aside, Robert looked around the room. Sitting on the younger boys bed was the pink fluffy stuffed rabbit he won for him. "You still have that rabbit? I thought you would've gotten rid of it."

"Of course I do. You gave it to me," said TJ. "You looked like you really wanted me to have it."

"Still, most 12 year old guys don't have stuffed animals."

"When can we play paintball again?"

"In a couple of days. All this rain makes the field muddy and slippery," Robert told him. "They don't want anyone to slip and sue them, so they anyways wait until the ground is solid."

"Makes sense, I guess," He said. "Can we do something else? I don't think either of us are gonna win."

"Me neither. What else do you want to do?" Robert asked as they put the game pieces away.

"It's not raining as bad as it was before. Let's go for a walk."

Though the rain was only a drizzle, the two boys brought umbrellas. They walked around the neighborhood before leaving. They walked past the elementary school, and even the middle school. Eventually, they ended up that the lake and sat at the edge of the dock.

"I wonder if they noticed anything before they left," said TJ.

"Who?" Robert asked. "Your friends?"

"Mmm-hmm. I know that I've been feeling different, but I wonder if they noticed if anything was off about me."

"Did they treat you any different?"

"I don't think so. They asked if I was okay when I didn't make a plan or do a prank for a couple of weeks, but I started doing those again so they wouldn't have to worry. They were all forced, though. I had plenty of ideas, just not the motivation to go through with them."

"Did they say anything?"

"Before they left they told me to 'take care of myself', if that's what you mean. They almost looked like they didn't want to get on their buses for camp and leave. I told them I didn't know what they were talking about and that I was fine."

"It sounds like they know that something wrong with you, but they don't know _what_," Robert suggested. "All of them asked in their letter if you're okay. You should write them back."

"I told you I don't want to."

"But you _should_. If you don't, they'll keep writing you more because they'll start to get worried."

"You're not gonna let this go until I write them back, aren't you?"

"You caught me. But in all seriousness, they really want to know if you're okay. One of them even wrote that they tried to call you."

"It was Spinelli. I was home when she called and left a message."

"Did you call her back?"

"No."

"…this is just so unlike you. You and your group were the closest friends the last time I checked. I know you said you're not mad at them, but it sure looks that way to me."

"Uh-huh."

"You know, when they get back, they might be mad at _you_ for not writing back."

"Uh-huh."

"And you don't care about that?"

"It's not that I don't care like 'I'm better than them', it's I don't care as in 'I know that this is important, but something inside me makes it impossible for me to be concerned about it.' Does that make sense, King Bob?"

"I guess so. I just hope your friends get that."

"Right. We should start heading back. My mom should be getting home soon."

Inside his room, Robert tossed a small ball in the air and caught it as he lay on his bed. It's been a few hours since he came home and Detweiler went to the doctor. He knew that a doctors appoint usually didn't last this long, and he hoped that the younger male told the doctor about what he was feeling like lately. Also on the former monarchs mind where the letters from his friends. He almost wanted to write to the rest of the group himself, if only to get more information and find out if they really knew something was up, but he didn't want to do that behind his back. However, Robert did cross the idea off the list of possibilities.

Coming home to his own room, Robert found it to be a dump. It always was one, as he was never one to be too tidy. Pushing himself of his bed, he started to pick up a few pieces of paper off the floor and threw them into the wastebasket. He piled the few stray dishes on his desk and tossed the dirty clothes into a basket. He lifted the basked onto his shoulders and carried the dishes into the kitchen. When he put the laundry basket on the drier, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Robert answered.

"I told them."

"…..you did?"

"Yeah. I told my mom on the way to the doctor," said TJ. "She looked devastated. She's downstairs explaining things to my dad."

"Did you tell the doctor?"  
"Yeah. I'll tell you about what he said tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know, since you kept telling me to. I have to go. Mom's calling me. She probably wants to 'talk'. I'll see you tomorrow, King Bob."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, monkey boy." Hanging up, Robert started to load the washing machine. He grabbed a screwdriver out of a kitchen drawer and headed back upstairs. In front of his bed was his old skateboard that he promised to give to Detweiler. Before he did that, he had to tighten one of the wheels. He picked it up and flipped it upside down. After figuring out which pair of wheels it was, he started to fix it.

* * *

Happy Holidays, everybody!

Please review


	6. Chapter 6

"Mild to moderate depression."

Robert had decided to come over at 10. He would've been over sooner, but he wanted to spend some time testing out the repaired wheels to make sure they were sturdy enough for the board to be used. Currently, he was sitting on the steps of Detweiler's porch, watching the younger boy learn how to balance on his new skateboard.

"Is that what the doctor said?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, but he said that's the 'working diagnosis'," TJ told him. "I have to go to a specialist on Monday. He said that psychiatrists don't like giving people my age antidepressants because there's nothing that's been proven to be 'safe'. He told me the height thing was normal and that'll hit a growth spurt soon, but to come back if I don't grow in 6 months."

"Makes sense. Did the whole depression thing surprise you?" TJ shook his head.

"I thought about it before, but didn't take it seriously. What do I have to be depressed about?" He asked himself. "I have a good family, great friends, I get good grades, what's there to be depressed about? I don't get it."

"I hear it's really complicated," Robert offered. "We had to read about it health class. It said anyone can be depressed; everything can be great, but you can still be depressed."

"I still don't get it," He said. "Maybe the specialist will explain it better."

"Maybe," said Robert. "Can you balance, yet?"

"Yeah, I think I've got it. What now?"

"Put one foot down and push forward." Robert watched him move a little bit down the sidewalk before making himself stop. "See? You've got it. You need to practice some more, but you've got the basics."

"Thanks. Can we go get your new skateboard, now?" Robert nodded.

"Keep riding that one on the way," Robert said as he walked over. "You haven't learned how to turn yet."

"How do you do that?"

"Press on the front of your feet and lean in the direction you want to go," he explained. As they approached the corner, he watched at the younger boy successful turn left. "There you go. You've got it."

"How old is this board?" TJ asked him. Robert thought for a moment before answering.

"About two in a half years," said Robert. "I got it as a gift in sixth grade, but I wasn't interested in using it until middle school. If it wasn't for this new skateboard I want, I would still use it myself. It's still good, if that's what you're wondering."

"Yeah. The paint looks like it's starting to come off…."

"That could be fixed with a new paint job though. It's not a big deal," Robert said. He looked down the street and saw that the show was only one block away. TJ decided to walk instead of riding the rest of the way. When they reached the shop, Robert immediately started to look around for the board he had been saving up for, while TJ followed a few feet behind him, stopping occasionally to look at the things on display. "Here it is," Robert said. He held up the underside of a skateboard for TJ to see. The design was similar to the inside of a computer would look like, at least according to science fiction. The darkness of the shop made it so that some of the glow-in-the-dark paint. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"I guess. I like the glow in the dark paint…"

"Good. I'm gonna go by it." While Robert went up to the cashier, he kept an eye on the younger boy. There wasn't much of a need to, as he was simply looking at the things around him, as anyone else would've. Robert was watching out for anything that seemed to hold his interest for longer than three seconds. He found nothing so far, but kept an eye out. After paying, the boys left the shop.

"I know this skate park where you can practice more at," Robert said. "You wanna come?"

"Sure. I'm not doing anything else today, anyway," said TJ. "Where is it?"

"It's a 10 minute walk from here," he told him. "But I know a shortcut."

~*~KR~*~

Robert skated of the half pipe when he saw TJ fall off his skateboard for the umpteenth time. He had insisted on learning the rest on his own, so Robert left him to his own devises after they arrived, while he went to get a feel of his new skateboard. Even then, he watched him out of the corner of his eye. He didn't want him to get too hurt.

Robert had expected him to fall. He fell a few dozen times himself when he was first started. But falling never hurt a kid, or at least not from a low height. Besides, he had a helmet on. However, Robert did understand how, after a while, the falling would be discouraging to anyone. When Detweiler fell of his board and stayed on the ground instead of getting up, Robert knew that he had reached that point. He skated over to him and sat down next to him.

"Having trouble, monkey boy?" He asked.

"I keep falling," TJ told him. "It's getting frustrating."

"What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to skate on that," He said. He pointed towards a funbox a few feet away from them. "I keep falling."

"Are you going fast enough? That's what kept making me fall when I started out," Robert offered. TJ shook his head.

"I think I'm going fast enough…"

"Are you moving _with _the board?" Robert asked. "You have to move _with_ the board, or you'll fall. It's almost like when you turn, but even more. Try it." TJ reluctant got back on his board to try again. Robert watched as he picked up speed before heading to the funbox. This time, he didn't fall on the ground. "See? You got it!"

"Thanks for that, but can we do something else now? My mom asked me a thousand questions after I came home from paintball covered in bruises. She's not gonna like it when I come home covered in scratches…"

"What else do you want to do?" Robert asked. "Go down to the lake?"

"I was gonna ask to go to that burger place, but we can do that, too."

~*~KR~*~

With the smell of fast food in the air, the boys ate the burgers and fries that Robert so generously bought for them. Their skateboards sat on the ground away from the edge of the lake. The two of the sat on the edge of the boardwalk eating their food.

"So, um, how are things at Third Street?" Robert asked before taking another bite.

"Everything's fine. Gordy was king this year," said TJ. "A lot of kids were upset that it wasn't me. You should've been there the first couple of weeks; they tried to overthrow him."

"Did they?"

"Nah. I didn't want to be king. It looked boring," he said. "My friends didn't get it when I told them, but they got over it. What's it like being king, anyways?"

"Lots of responsibility and pressure. There were moments when it was boring, yeah, but it was worth it in the end," Robert said. "Hold on, did _everyone_ go to camp?" TJ nodded.

"Every last one, except me," he said. Robert reached down for the brown paper bag to grab some fries, but only felt the wood that the both of them were sitting on.

"What happened to the bag?" Robert asked. He looked around for it, and found it sitting a few feet behind them, as well as a small puppy sticking its head inside the bag. "Hey look, a puppy." Robert stood up and slowly started to approach the puppy. As he got closer, he could clearly see a bright red collar on the animal. TJ turned and watched him. The puppy managed to shake the paper bag off and chew the few fries it managed to reach. Robert kneeled down to pet the dog and get a better look at the collar it was wearing, but it didn't seem to notice him as it ran past him and up to TJ. "That's not your puppy, is it?"

"No. I don't have a puppy," said TJ. While the puppy sat in front of him, he looked at the collar. "I wanted one before, but mom and dad never thought I was responsible enough. I dunno why she came up to me."

"She?"

"Yeah, she. The collar says 'Sasha'. That's a girl's name," he said.

"Is there an address on it?" asked Robert. "She has on a collar; someone must own her."

"No, but there's the name of the animal shelter on the back. Maybe she got out, somehow. We should take her back." The younger boy stood up and walked over the Robert, and the puppy happily followed.

"You can literally say that a puppy followed you home, and you want to give her back?"

"Yeah. What if somebody is looking for her?" TJ asked. "Besides, my parents wouldn't let me keep her anyways. Do you know far the shelter is from here?"

"It's a few blocks away."

"Alright. C'mon, Sasha." The puppy barked at the sound of its name and followed TJ to the sidewalk. As they walked, Robert got a better look at the puppy. It was a German Shepherd, and though he couldn't guess it's age, he had the feeling that it was small, maybe even the runt of the liter. He couldn't figure out why the puppy chose to run up to Detweiler when he was right in front of him. When they reached the shelter, as soon as they opened the door, Sasha ran inside. The two of them followed her up to the front desk. While TJ worked on calming the puppy down, Robert rang the bell on the front desk to get someone's attention. After a few minutes, and young woman with her hair pulled back in a messy bun came back out.

"Can I help you boys?" She asked.

"We found this puppy by the lake. She didn't have an address on her collar so be brought her here," Robert explained. He pointed at Sasha as the woman walked from behind the counter. She knelt down and looked at the collar before speaking again. "Oh, I know this little girl. She was adopted a few weeks ago. She must've escaped. We still have her file; I'll just go get it and give her owners a call. But in the meantime, we should get her something to eat and drink. Do you boys want to come back to keep her company?" The two of them nodded and lead Sasha into the back. The woman set aside two bowls, one with food and the other with water, before headed farther into the back to find her file.

"Hey, King Bob?"

"Huh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." Robert waited for this question, but after a few moments, he didn't say anything else. "Well? What's the question?"

"Nevermind. It's a stupid question," TJ dismissed.

"There's no such thing as a stupid question," said Robert. "Go ahead. Ask me."

"It's nothing. Just forget about it." Just by looking at him, Robert could tell he was thinking about something in that head of his. What it was, he had no idea, but he wanted to know what this question was and why he didn't want to ask it.

"I'm not gonna judge you or anything," Robert said. "If that's what you're worried about."

"….A little it. But it's nothing, really. It's stupid. I shouldn't have even asked to ask. Just forget about it." Now Robert really wanted to know what this question was. He was about to keep pressing for the younger boy to actually tell him, but Sasha started to bark and run around TJ's legs, stealing his attention. While he kneeled down and Sasha began to lick him, the woman came back into the room.

"I've tried calling, but I keep getting a message that the phone's been disconnected. Unfortunately, it looks like she's been abandoned," She said. "It doesn't surprise me, though. The kid of the parents that came in adopted her didn't even look like he _wanted_ a puppy, and come off as sort of a spoiled brat. If they were gonna abandon her, I wish they would've just brought her back here. It's a shame, really. Sasha's a really good puppy. Easy to train and just loves everybody."

"So what's gonna happen now?" Robert asked her.

"Our policy says we have to keep her here for two weeks to see if the owners come looking for her, but I doubt that's gonna happen. After that, she's back up for adoption."

"Can we visit her until then?" TJ asked her.

"Sure. Stop by anytime. Right now, though, she might want to go play with the other puppies in the back," She said. "C'mon, Sasha." The puppy barked and ran a few more circles around TJ before following the woman into the back.

"Are you sure you don't want to ask that question?" Robert tried again.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"…Fine. You can ask me whenever you feel like it, okay?"

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind. So, what else are we gonna do?"

"Wanna go to the arcade? We'll have to take the bus, but I bet it's practically empty since everyone's at camp." They agreed and had to run to catch the next bus. Just like Robert said, the arcade was empty, except for the occasional older teenager. The two of them spent hours there, and most of the time was at a single two-player game where they reached the high score. The entire time, Robert was trying to figure out what this question he had was. What question could it be that he would want to ask, but then back out of it? He couldn't think of anything. The only thing he could do was wait and hope that he would eventually tell him.

By the time they left, it was starting to get dark outside. They decided to take the bus rather than walk all the way home. The two of them were tired. Right when he was about to doze off, Robert felt something lean on his shoulder. When he looked, he saw that TJ had fell asleep himself and was resting his head on his shoulder. Whether or not that was intentional was another question. He wrapped and arm around the younger boys waist to keep him from falling forward. Robert yawned to wake himself up. He didn't want them to miss their stop. Again, he was left to his thoughts.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Detweiler?" he asked himself. "Whatever it is, I'm gonna figure it out." He looked around the bus and found that they were alone, except for the driver of course. After double checking and making sure that he was still asleep, Robert leaned down and pressed a kiss on his forehead.


	7. Chapter 7

Robert was surprised when TJ showed up at his doorstep instead of the other way around. He didn't knock on the door or anything. Rather, he was skateboarding on the sidewalk, waiting. Robert wondered why he didn't knock on the door or ring the doorbell to make him come out. Robert brought his own skateboard when he went outside to join him.

"You could've knocked on the door, you know," Robert said as he walked up to him.

"I know, but you also come over at ten, so I thought you would come outside a little before then," said TJ. "Can I ask you something?"

"Is it the question you wanted to ask yesterday?"

"….No. It's something different," he said. "Where do you get all of your money? Do you have a really big allowance or something?"

"Nah, I have a paper route. I've had one since seventh grade," Robert told him. "Get up every morning at 6 to deliver newspaper."

"Is it worth it?"

"Yeah. It pays a lot more than my allowance," said Robert. "They're hiring. You should go down there."

"I'm not exactly excited to get up at 6 am every morning," said TJ.

"Oh, c'mon. It takes me about 30 minutes to do my route, and that's if I'm slow! After you get used to your route, it's easy. Plus there's the money, too. Money's always good."

"Yeah, but 6 am, King Bob," TJ said.

"You'll get used to that, too," Robert said as they started to walk down the street. "The money makes it worth it. Just think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you know what you want to do today?" Robert asked him.

"…I dunno…nothing I guess. I just feel like walking around…," He said. Robert looked over at him and noticed that he wasn't looking forward. Instead, he was looking down at his feet.

"Is everything okay?" Robert asked.

"Huh? Yeah. Everything's fine," said TJ. "I'm okay, really."

"…you don't have to lie to me, you know," said Robert. "I know you're lying to me."

"I _am_ fine, King Bob. Everything's _perfect_, I swear. I'm just feeling a little off," He said. Robert still didn't believe him. He looked worse than he had been looking for the last few days. He looked _tired._ Not the normal 'I just didn't get enough sleep' tired, but 'I'm not getting everything I need to just _be _and it's starting to wear me down' tired. "Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It happens to everyone once in a while, right?"

"Yeah, but you've been 'waking up on the wrong side of the bed' for months," Robert said.

"WILL YOU JUST—" TJ started to scream. He cut himself off when noticed. "Just drop it okay? I don't want to talk about it! First my mom and dad wants to talk about it, now you want to talk about it, and I read those stupid letters, and my friends want to talk about it! I don't want to! There's nothing to talk about! And if you're gonna keep asking me these questions then you can just leave me alone 'cause I'd rather spend my summer by myself then deal with this!" Robert was taken aback by his sudden outburst. He stopped walking while the younger boy hopped on his skateboard and kept going down the street. When he turned the corner, Robert started to chase after him.

"Hey!" he said as he started to catch up. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I am. I should've taken the hint and left it alone. I was worried, that's all." Robert could see that he was still upset, as he opened and closed his fists and stared at the ground.

"That's just _it_, King Bob! There isn't anything to be worried about! There isn't anything wrong with me! There isn't any _reason _for me to feel this way, or be depressed or whatever they wanna call it!" Robert stood back and watched him pace and shake his fists as he spoke. "I've got it pretty good, don't I? Why would I be depressed? I don't get it, and it's making me so angry that I don't know what's going on with me and that my own head is so messed up that I need to go to some doctor about it! I don't know what's wrong with me and everything's so confusing all of a sudden! I just…." He stopped his rant before sighing and sitting down on the curb and put his head in his hands. After a few seconds, Robert put is board down and sat down next to him.

"They're gonna help you though," Robert said. "The specialist, and your parents, and me too."

"I _know_, but _I _don't understand it! I don't understand and I don't know what to do and I hate that because I _always_ know what to do! I'm the one that always has a plan for everything and don't have one this time! _And it scares me, King Bob._ I don't get scared easily but I'm scared because I can't plan my way out of this! Sometimes I just want to crawl into bed, go to sleep, and hope that this is just some bad dream that I'll wake up from, but I know it's not."

"I'm sorry," Robert said. He placed and arm around the younger boys shoulder, be he had no idea how comforting that was. "I really am."

"…I wanna go home, Robert," said TJ. "Today isn't a good day for me."

"Okay. Do you want me to come with you, or do you want to be alone right now?" Robert asked.

"No, I want you to come, too. You're…you're really good company," said TJ. The two of them stood up, and with their skateboards tucked under their arms, they turned around and started to walk back. The walk was in silence. Robert didn't know what else he could say, and TJ continued to stare at the ground. Robert really wanted to go to the library to check out as many book as he could on depression. Anything that'll make it easier for them both of them to understand.

When they reached his house, they left their boards on the porch and went inside.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," said TJ. "I'm just gonna go upstairs and lay in bed all day."

"Nah, you said I'm good company. That's what I'm here for," Robert told him as they headed upstairs. "Do you really want me to stay?"

"I do, but I don't want to force you to stay," he said. Reaching his room, TJ went straight to his bed. Robert followed, and they both managed to lay down, though Robert had one of his legs over the edge. "I hope Sasha doesn't miss me too much, today."

"The puppy? I didn't know we were actually gonna go see her," said Robert. "Dogs are loyal. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you whenever you got back there."

"….I'm sorry I dumped all of that on you earlier. I didn't mean to say all that, it all just sorta…came out on its own."

"You don't have to apologize," Robert told him. "If you said it, you said it for a reason. You don't need to apologize for that."

"Thanks."

"Sure. No problem. Now, how about we take a nap, huh? Naps always make you feel better," said Robert.

"Aren't naps for little kids?"

"Trust me, when you get my age, naps are one the best things you can have."

~*~KR~*~  
When Robert woke up, he almost expected to be hanging over the edge of the bed by a few inches. He wasn't, and the former monarch was thankful for that. He took a deep breath, and found that inhaling was slightly difficult. It felt as is something was on his chest. Looking down, he saw that TJ found that his chest would make a very comfortable pillow.

Robert wasn't one to rush to conclusions. From what he could see, there were a few reasons that the two of them could've ended up in this position. The first was pure coincidence. The bed was only a twin, and with the two of them on it, it didn't leave very much space to move. He could've been trying to turn around and just ended up on his chest. The other was that the younger boy _wanted_ to lie on his chest. He didn't think that was the option. Robert thought that that didn't fit him.

He was too….what was the word he was looking for?

He didn't seem like he would know, or care, about this sort of thing. What was that word? It's on the tip of his tongue…

Innocent. That's the word. TJ was too innocent to do that, in Roberts opinion, anyways. So it was an accident that they ended up in their current position; it had to be.

Either way, he had one hell of a grip on him. Robert tried to take his arm off, but found that the younger boy had a _really_ tight grip on his side, and it didn't look like Detweiler was going to let go any time soon. Robert soon let go of that idea and, as soon as he gave up trying to get free, Detweiler snuggled into his chest.

"So he's a cuddler," Robert thought with a smile. "Why am I not surprised? Oh, well. I didn't feel like getting up, anyway." Seeing that his hat had fallen off his head sometime during their nap, Robert took this opportunity to run his fingers through his hair again. Seeing that he didn't wake up, Robert decided to be a little bold and gently kissed his forehead. He regretted that as soon as he did that, Detweiler started to wake up. Robert watched as he yawned and rubbed his eyes before looking up at him.

"Hey," he said in a groggy voice. "How long have you been awake?"

"About 20 minutes," said Robert.

"What time is it?"

"1:30. We slept for two and a half hours," He said. "Do you feel any better?" TJ nodded. The two of them laid there in silence for a few minutes before TJ shot up from his spot. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, it was an accident—"  
"Dude, relax. It's fine. Besides, the bed's small," said Robert. "I'm starving. You've got anything to eat?"

"….yeah, there's some frozen pizzas in the freezer."

"Okay. Let's go put it in the oven," Robert said. The two boys went downstairs after stretching the last bit of their sleep from their bodies. After tossing the pizza in the oven, they sat in the living room watching TV, in silence again. When the pizza was done, they decided to eat outside.

"King Bob?"

"Yeah?"

"You like me, don't you?" Robert almost choked on his food at that question. Luckily, he didn't and managed to keep his cool.

"Yeah, I like you. I wouldn't hang out with you if I didn't like you," Robert said. "Doesn't everybody like you? Except for like, Gordy, right?"

"…..Uh-huh. Everybody likes me. That's right. You're right," He said. Taking the last bite of his pizza, he spoke up again and grabbed his board. "I think I'm up to go visit Sasha after all. Are you coming?" Robert nodded and, with his last piece of pizza in his mouth, hurried to catch up to the younger boy as he went down the street.

~*~KR~*~

As soon as the owner of the shelter let them into the back, Sasha ran from the group of puppies that she was playing with and ran over to TJ. She circled him several times before stopping long enough for him just to touch her. After the puppy tackled him to the ground and vigorously licked his face, she ran off again and returned with a ball.

"I think she wants to play fetch," Robert commented. He had somehow managed to attract the attention of a few puppies who were all mouthing at his legs and jumping up to get his attention.

"Uh-huh," he said before tossing the ball. Sasha chased after it. "So we're playing paintball tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. It'll be the first thing we do," said Robert.

"Not the first thing. I have to go to the specialist, remember? I mean, I want to go after I get back, but I have that the first thing in the morning," said TJ. "I wanna keep up this great aim you say I have."

"You remember that, huh?" Robert laughed. "You've got one hell of an aim. Maybe I should go down there and practice while you're gone."

"You're still not gonna be a better shot than me. You've been playing for years and I just started. If I'm better now, then I'm always going to be better," He said, and, for the first time since Robert started to hang out with him, the former monarch saw him smile.

"Whatever you say, Detweiler."

* * *

I feel like this chapter was partially filler. Anyways, in the next chapter, there will be the return of an extremely minor character in the series. It's not an OC, I promise! Until then,

Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Robert didn't actually go down to the paintball field to practice. Rather, after he finished is paper route, he headed straight towards the library. With the help of the librarian, he searched through the shelves for every book about depression. When the librarian, Mrs. Parker, asked him why he was interested in that particular subject, he gave an honest answer.

"A friend of mine is depressed," He said as he added another book to the pile he was carrying. "I want to learn some stuff about it to help him."

"That's very sweet of you," said Mrs. Parker. "Be careful with those books, though, sweetheart. You don't want to fall over carrying them." Robert said his thanks and left the library with ten books in his arms. When he came back home, he made himself a large bowl of cereal, sat at his desk, and opened the first book in the pile.

He didn't mean to fall asleep. We has used to going back to sleep right after finishing his route. To his credit, he did read a lot before his eyes closed and his head hit the desk. When he finally woke up, it was because of the doorbell being rung. Jumping up, Robert was thankful that he didn't spill the milk in his bowl over the library books. After putting the dish in the kitchen sink, he answered the door.

"I didn't expect you to be here this early," Robert said.

"But it's 12. Did you fall asleep or thing?" TJ asked. Robert chucked.

"Actually, I did," he said, letting him inside. "So, how was it?"

"Long and boring, with lots of questions," He said. "And this." He held up a small medicine bottle for Robert to see.

"What's that?" Robert asked..

"Medication. One of these pills twice a day, plus therapy once a week," said TJ. "The specialist thought my case was severe enough to require medication."

"….It's that bad, huh?" Robert took a closer look at the bottle.

"Yeah. It's that bad," He said. "It's bad enough that I need freakin' happy pills."

"Oh, c'mon. If they gave it to you, it must help," Robert said. "Are you still up for paintball?"

"Yeah, that's why I came over," said TJ. "Are you ready?"

"Almost. You won't believe it but I fell asleep at my desk and some of my hair got into the milk I had in a bowl of cereal. It's nothing, but it really makes me want to take a shower, especially since I didn't take one last night. You don't mind waiting, do you?" TJ shook his head. "Thanks. I'll only be twenty minutes. You can go in my room if you want."

~*~KR~*~

Robert would never admit that he used more than the standard soap when he bathed. Not too long after entering middle school, he had broken out in acne. It was so bad; many others in his grade and above were breaking out, too. But he had an image to maintain. That's why he, after gaining the courage to ask his sister for some way of getting rid of it, took up what could only be described as a beauty regimen. He had no shame in it; it had cleared his acne much faster than of his peers around him. A simple mixture of baking soda with water and massaging the paste into his skin got rid of those nasty blackheads, gross pimples, and crimpling dry skin, and restored his confidence. The stuff was also great at getting rid of that slightly mildew-ish smell his hair tended to get.

But he only did that once a week.

Other than serving the purpose of getting clean, showering provided him the opportunity to get in-depth with his thoughts. The topic today was the brief conversation he and his guest had while eating lunch yesterday.

The question asked of him completely caught him off guard, and his crush definitely did not help the situation. Looking back on his, Robert still agreed that he reacted in the 'right' way, but the question bugged him.

_"You like me, don't you?"_

Everyone likes him! That's not even an exaggeration! Literally, _everyone _(minus the Gordy kid) likes him. And he knows it! He doesn't need to ask because he knows! So why ask at all?

It was at this moment that Robert stated to question what did he mean by 'like'. Every kid knows there's 'like', and then there's '_like_, like'.

"Is that what he meant?" Robert quietly asked himself. He shook his head at the question. "No, couldn't be. What else could it be, though? But he's so…._naive_ about stuff like that. And I haven't been dropping any hints! If that's not it, then what else could it be? ….Does that mean he likes me back?"

Turning off the water, Robert grabbed a towel and dried himself before putting on lotion.

"It would be nice," He thought. "But he's like one of those people who would take longer to actually _like_ people that way than everyone else." After putting on the lotion, Robert stood up and looked around for the clean pair of boxers. He soon realized that he forgot to bring a pair with him. Sighing, he tied his towel around his waist. The cold air made him shiver as he stepped out of the bathroom. A few steps and he entered his room, finding that the younger boy was looking at the things on his shelf.

"Forgot my boxers," He said as he walked over to his drawers. "Hope you weren't bored."

"…No. You're room's…interesting."

"Thanks," He said. After putting on a pair of jeans, he walked over to his closet for a shirt. "How's that bruise on you head?"

"…I forgot about it," said TJ. "But it must be gone if I forgot about it."

"Lemme see," Robert said. He took of the younger boys hat and ran his fingers through his hair. The height difference made it so that he had to tilt his head down for Robert to see. Robert looked around the area that he remembered seeing the bruise. His position made it so that he didn't see the blush on the younger boys cheeks. "You're right. It's gone." He gave him his hat back and looked inside his closet for a shirt. He put on a clean shirt and quickly slipped on a pair of socks and shoes.

"Can we go down to the shelter first?" asked TJ.

"Looks like you're getting really attached to Sasha," Robert laughed. They left the house and headed towards to shelter. "You shouldn't do that if your parents won't let you have her."

"I know, but she really likes me, King Bob," he said. "I can't just leave her there."

"I thought you couldn't care about anything anymore," said the former monarch. "Just an observation."

"Yeah, but….this is different," said TJ. "Sasha's just a puppy. I've been wondering something."

"What?"

"What if the kid that adopted her before sorta looked like me? That could be why she came up to me and likes me so much."

"That could be why," said Robert. "Maybe you should ask your parents if you can adopt her. I read in one of the books that pets can help with the whole depression thing. They've got the whole 'unconditional love' thing going on. 'Sides, you seem like the kind of kid that has a puppy."

"I don't want them to think that I'm faking this just for a dog," He said.

"Good point. But the worst they could say is 'no'. What if you invited them down her to see how much Sasha likes you?" Robert suggested. "That might convince them."

"…."

"And you smile when you with her. You haven't smiled in a while," said Robert. "If they see that Sasha makes you smile, I bet it'll be really hard for them to say no."

"That sounds like I'm manipulating them, Robert."

"It's not manipulating if it's the truth," said Robert. When they walked inside the shelter the owner was already out in the front, waiting to take them into the back where the puppies were playing. The owner also gave with a small bag of treats.

"I wonder if she knows any tricks," Robert commented. "She likes you the most. See if she can sit."

"Um, okay. Sasha," TJ said. Sasha stopped running circles around his feet and stood in front of him. "Sit." Sasha tilted her head, and after a few seconds, she sat down.

"Wow, she already knows that," said Robert. He watched TJ toss a treat in the air and Sasha jump up to catch it. "They'll like it if she's trained already." TJ nodded.

"Lay down, Sasha," he said. Sasha did so, and he tossed her another treat. Before he could come up with another command, Sasha stood up, sniffed the air, and ran inside.

"Where's she running off to?"

"I dunno," He said. The two of the followed the puppy as she ran. Sasha turned a corner right before a yelp was heard. When the boys caught up to her, they saw that she was running around the girl that she had knocked down. As she picked herself up, they saw that she had curly blonde hair under a blue baseball cap that she wore backwards. She wore blue jean shorts, a white a light pink striped tank top, and blue trainers. From what Robert could see, she slight curves were a sign she was on the cusp of puberty.

"Oww," She said, rubbing the back of her head. She looked up at the two of them right before Sasha started licking her. "Is this your dog?"

"No. She acts like it, though. Sorry about that," said TJ. "….CJ? Is that you?"

"Yeah? Why?" She asked, looking up at him again. "TJ? Hey, I haven't seen you guys in forever!"

"You two know each other?" Robert asked.

"Yeah. Remember when we went across town to play kickball? CJ goes to that school," said TJ. "You should've seen it, King Bob. There's doubles of everyone from Third Street there. It was kinda creepy."

"And yours happened to be a girl," Robert said. TJ nodded.

"Hey, where are the others?" CJ asked. "If they're anything like mine, you guys would always be with each other."

"They're off at camp, just like last year," TJ told her.

"Oh, yeah. I heard about what you guys did last summer. That was awesome! But, uh, if it makes you feel any better, by friends are off at camp, too. It's actually starting to get a little lonely around here."

"Oh. You can hang out with us if you want," TJ offered. "Right, King Bob?"

"Yeah, sure," said Robert. "Why not?"

"Thanks. Now, can you guys help a girl up?" She asked. The two of them each grabbe done of her hands and pulled her up to her feet. "Thanks."

"So why are you here? Are you getting dog?"

"No. I'm getting a kitten! My parents are out in front with the owner talking about what a kitten needs. I'm back here to pick one out," She said. "There's a whole play area with kittens. Do you know where it is?"

"It's down the hall and to the left. We always pass it on our way out back."

"'Kay. You two wanna come?" The boys nodded and followed her through the halls, along with Sasha. After a short walk, then ended up in front of a play around filled with meowing kittens. Their meows barely sounded more than a tiny squeak. "They're so tiny. I'm afraid I might break one…" Leaning down, CJ picked up a nearby kitten that began to meow when it was lifted off the ground. She held the kitten to her chest to read the name on its tiny collar. "Its name is Jasper. So it's a boy."

"Jasper, huh? That's my middle name," TJ said.

"Really? Jasper?" Robert asked with a chuckle.

"I want this one," CJ said, holding the kitten. "You're gonna come home with me, Jasper!" The kitten meowed in response.

"What can you do with cats? You can't walk or play catch with them or anything," Robert said.

"You can play with cats. They don't chew on everything like dogs do," said CJ.

"But dogs can defend you," TJ said. "And they do funny stuff."

"Either way, I'm more of a cat person," she said. She put Jasper back with the other kittens and watched him go back to playing. "I'm gonna go find my parents to let them know I found one."

"Okay. I have to take Sasha into the back. We'll meet you in the front."

They went their separate ways. After dropping Sasha off in the back, the boys made their way into the front where they saw CJ talking with her parents. They waited outside until she came back out again. This gave Robert some time to think about the situation. He had planned to only spend the summer with the kid next to him. It wasn't that he didn't like the girl, but she was impeding on his plans. But the younger boy invited her to hang out with them. Who knows, it could be fun. It wasn't like TJ was going to tell her that she couldn't hang out with them anyways. The kid's too much of a sweetheart to do that, even if he's depressed.

"I wonder how alike they are," Robert said. "From what it sounds like, very. This'll be interesting. Maybe it'll be good to have a friend his age."

"Hey, guys," CJ said. "We have to get our house ready for a kitten, so I can't take Jasper home yet. But my parents says it's okay that I hang out with you guys. So what are we gonna do?"

"Have you ever played paintball?" Robert asked. CJ shook her head. "We're about to now."

~*~KR~*~

Robert was beginning to think that he was making some really bad decisions in his life. Sliding to a hiding spot, he tried to catch his breath before looking back from where he came. His arms and parts of his back were throbbing from being pelted with paintballs. In hindsight, he should've predicted that Detweilers doppelganger would be like him in more ways than one. In this case, having the same spot-on aim. Seeing one of them duck and cover, he took aim and fired when the other followed suit.

It wasn't fair.

The former monarch looked at his watch. Good. Only one minute left until the game is over. He had to run before being aimed at again. Robert stayed low, but moved as fast as he could to a new hiding space. He turned and spotted them moving again and opened fire on the two of them.

Not long after, the alarm rang, telling the players that their time was up. Robert breathed a lung full of air and exhaled. Finally. That game was brutal.

"How do the both of you have great aim?" Robert asked as the three of them went back inside.

"Beginners luck?" CJ guessed as she returned her rented equipment.

"That's what he said about me, but I'm still good at it," TJ said. For the second time, Robert saw him smile. "You should practice some more, Robert. It's gonna stop being fun if it's this easy to hit you." Robert laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind," He said.

"I think I should head home. I'm feelin' kinda sore after that game," CJ said. "Plus I have to get the house ready for Jasper. I'll see you guys, later!" The boys waved goodbye and started to walk the opposite way down the sidewalk.

"So, you said there were double of _everyone_ at her school," Robert started. "Literally everyone?"

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't see everyone, but it looked like it."

"What about their king?"

"Queen," TJ corrected. "Queen Penny."

"Geez. You'd think that was done on purpose. That's creepy."

"Their jungle gym is named old crusty"

"Weird. Hey, you wanna go back to my house and watch a movie? I promise it won't be a horror flick.

"Okay."

"Good. Race you there!" Robert nudged him before sprinting ahead. Taking a quick look behind him, he saw that the young way was running after him.


End file.
